A Woman Is a Woman Reviews

Godard's third feature film and his first in color, A WOMAN IS A WOMAN is one of the most enjoyable of all the master's works. Taking an extremely lighthearted approach, it bursts with a passion for the medium of film expressed in every shot. The plot is very simple and could almost be taken for homage to Hollywood musical comedy, but homage seems much too tacky a term to express the fascination Godard had and the playful manner in which he approached this film. Karina (Godard's wife at the time) plays a stripper living with her boyfriend (Brialy), who refuses to marry her in spite of her expressed desire to have a child. Using an old feminine ploy, she starts to turn her attentions toward another man (Belmondo), easily making him fall in love with her. Sure enough, it works, with the boyfriend breaking down when faced with the prospect of losing the girl he loves. Every moment of this picture is filled with charm, from Brialy riding a bicycle around their apartment in a strange mating dance to the buffoonish manner in which Belmondo tries to declare his love for Karina. The loose style almost seems to suggest that Godard just placed the camera down and then told his three stars to play; they look like children who have not yet outgrown the play lot and are unwilling to accept responsibility. The way Karina announces that she wants to have a baby is totally whimsical, a thing to do because that is what couples do when they are in love. Next to Godard's nonstylish stylishness, the most outstanding feature is the mere presence of Karina; her subtle glance and loftiness coincide with little mistakes in technical performance that most directors would not tolerate, but which actually serve to make her that much more human and irresistible. In fact, the picture appears almost to be a private photograph album showcasing the charming Karina in many moods. This is the first of Godard's films to be shot largely in a studio under tightly controlled conditions. The director insisted on using sets with ceilings in the interest of naturalism. This was also Godard's first experience with direct synchronous sound; his previous films had been dubbed. Elements of some of the director's earlier short subjects--most notably the 10-minute UNE FEMME COQUETTE--can be seen in the plot and the characterizations. Raoul Coutard's superlative wide-screen camera work will be diminished on the TV screen.